Circa Waves

Britain's Circa Waves are known for their nervy, melodic indie rock, a style that builds upon the Transatlantic influence of bands like <a href="spotify:artist:0epOFNiUfyON9EYx7Tpr6V">the Strokes</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:7Ln80lUS6He07XvHI8qqHH">Arctic Monkeys</a>. They burst onto the scene in 2015 when singles like "Get Away," "Stuck in My Teeth," and "T-Shirt Weather" helped push their debut, Young Chasers, to number ten on the U.K. Albums Chart. They also reached the Top 20 with 2017's Different Creatures and 2019's What's It Like Over There?, and 2020's Sad Happy; the latter was a double-album that peaked at number four and showcased their growing maturity and deepening musical sophistication. 2023's Never Going Under topped the U.K. Independent Albums chart and found them tackling heady themes like parenthood and the environment. Following singer Kieran Shudall's emergency heart surgery in 2023, Circa Waves returned with 2025's Death & Love, Pt. 1.

Circa Waves was formed in Liverpool in May 2013 by guitarist and singer Shudall, who had decided to "knuckle down" and commit fully to music after spending years in a succession of no-hope garage bands. After writing a batch of songs and putting some demos online, he recruited second guitarist Joe Falconer, bassist Sam Rourke, and drummer Sian Plummer (replaced by Colin Jones in 2015), and the band undertook a few short tours of the U.K. and Europe. Their melodic, propulsive rock sound, heavily inspired by <a href="spotify:artist:0epOFNiUfyON9EYx7Tpr6V">the Strokes</a> and often compared to <a href="spotify:artist:0Ak6DLKHtpR6TEEnmcorKA">the Vaccines</a>, was well-received by audiences, and such a buzz built around them that they were soon offered a deal with Transgressive Records, erstwhile home of <a href="spotify:artist:6FQqZYVfTNQ1pCqfkwVFEa">Foals</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4BntNFyiN3VGG4hhRRZt9d">the Subways</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:09K1H1DgyIXHsMx2j7KTFX">Mystery Jets</a>.

Their debut single, the double-A-side "Get Away"/"Good for Me," was released in December 2013 and was almost immediately hailed the "Hottest Record in the World" by taste-making BBC Radio 1 DJ <a href="spotify:artist:2Whc9BubHyVNmH7xkwSkgK">Zane Lowe</a>. On the heels of that first wave of excitement, Circa Waves released their debut full-length album, Young Chasers, on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Virgin%22">Virgin</a>/<a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22EMI%22">EMI</a> in 2015. Buoyed by singles like "T-Shirt Weather" and "Stuck in My Teeth," the album reached the Top Ten of the U.K. albums chart and paved the way for a series of well-attended live shows, including a sold-out date at London's O2 Academy Brixton.

The reception they received for their debut instilled them with a greater sense of confidence, and as a result they returned to the studio almost immediately after touring; with their renewed vigor they created a heavier, beefier sophomore record, 2017's Different Creatures. Produced by <a href="spotify:artist:7cXiglYPsrmgecDTDTVFQC">Alan Moulder</a>, the album fared well, hitting number 11 on the U.K. album chart, and spawning the singles "Wake Up" and "Fire That Burns."

The band's third full-length, What's It Like Over There?, arrived in 2019 and included the single "Movies." A Top Ten album in the U.K., it again found the band working with <a href="spotify:artist:7cXiglYPsrmgecDTDTVFQC">Moulder</a> and embracing a more nuanced pop sophistication. In early 2020, they delivered Sad Happy, which featured production by singer Shudall and mixing from Matt Wiggins and Dan Grech-Marguerat. Prior to the album's full release, it was split in half and issued on two separate EPs, Happy and Sad. It was the group's highest-charting effort to date, peaking at number four on the U.K. charts.

Circa Waves returned in January 2023 with their fifth full-length, Never Going Under. Informed by Shudall's experience becoming a father and his worries over climate change and the state of the world, it featured the singles "Hell on Earth" and "Carry You Home." In the U.K., the album cracked the Top 20 and hit number one on the Independent Albums chart. That same year, Shudall underwent emergency surgery to address a severe blockage in the main artery in his heart. The health scare informed the band's sixth album, Death & Love, Pt. 1, which arrived in January 2025. ~ Matt Collar & John D. Buchanan, Rovi